Germany added 2.3 GW of new onshore wind capacity in the first half of 2017. Though it failed to meet the target last year, the Renewable Energy Act set annual target of installing 2.5 GW new solar capacity. Add in a warm autumn and the winter storms Xavier and Herwart, and it is easy to see how renewables supplied 44.1 per cent of Germany’s energy in October.

A number of prominent companies come to mind when you mention Germany’s energy transition. Names like E.ON, Volkswagen, and Siemens are recognized around the world. But Energiewende’s real backbone is the nation’s 3.67 million small and medium-sized business enterprises.